Pilgrims perform ‘stoning of the devil’ as Muslims mark Eid Al Adha

AFP | Mina, Saudi Arabia

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Pilgrims yesterday performed the last major ritual of the hajj, the “stoning of the devil”, in western Saudi Arabia as Muslims the world over celebrated the Eid Al Adha holiday.

Beginning at dawn, the 1.8 million Muslims undertaking the pilgrimage this year threw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, located outside Islam’s holiest city of Mecca.

The ritual commemorates Abraham’s stoning of the devil at the three spots where it is said Satan tried to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son.

Multiple stampedes have occurred in Mina over the years, most recently in 2015 when up to 2,300 worshippers were killed in the worst hajj disaster. The site has been revamped since then to streamline the movement of the large crowds.

Packed

Roads leading to the concrete walls were nevertheless packed yesterday, with some pilgrims struggling under the morning sun.

At least two pilgrims were seen lying on the side of the road, sheltered by buildings and cars. “It’s very difficult, we can’t find transport. I can’t get up anymore,” said Ahmed Alsayed Omran, a 70-year-old Egyptian retiree sitting on the sidewalk.

Temperatures soared well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) each day and on Saturday hit 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Mount Arafat, where pilgrims performed hours of outdoor prayers.

Taxing conditions

Worshippers did their best to take the taxing conditions in stride, seizing what for many was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pray at Islam’s holiest shrines. “It’s physically gruelling, but it’s very spiritually charged.

For me, I was sort of in awe at all times,” said 49-year-old Canadian Neron Khan. For part of the pilgrimage, “I was in some sort of heat exhaustion situation,” she added. “But I had to keep going because we were surrounded by everybody.

And you just had to push through.” One treatment centre near Mount Arafat recorded 225 cases of heat stress and fatigue so far, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.